Regular services at St Mary's

 

Service of the Word

Epiphany January 3rd 2021

To worship with us, please listen to the audio file and join in the responses in bold.

Listen to the Service of the Word

Anthem

The choir sing the anthem We Three Kings

O Lord open our lips
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.


Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Prayers of Penitence

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.


When the Lord comes,
he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness,
and will disclose the purposes of the heart.
Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

God be gracious to us and bless us, and make your face shine upon us:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

May your ways be known on the earth, your saving power among the nations:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

You, Lord, have made known your salvation,
and reveal your justice in the sight of the nations:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

 

The Collect

O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: mercifully grant that we,
who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Readings

A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia.
We have seen his star at its rising,
and have come to pay him homage.

This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.

The Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.
We have seen his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.
Alleluia

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord.

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were

overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

 

Sermon

You can listen to the sermon on the audio file.

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Intercessions

These responses are used

Lord in your mercy
hear our prayer


Prayers for the departed include:
Years Mind: Georgina Tapp, Marjorie PLatt, Sally Reygate, Wilfred Bishop. Frank Hill, Pauline Offord, Harry Fallon.

And at the end:
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers,
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

 

The Benedictus

This is the Christ, the Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations.

Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,  who has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, 
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets God promised of old 
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,

To show mercy to our ancestors, 
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:  to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear,  holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,  for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of all their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,  and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

This is the Christ, the Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.


Christ the Son of God perfect in you the image of his glory and gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom;
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be among you and remain with always.
All :  Amen.

 

Voluntary

The organ voluntary is PRelude and Fuguein G major BWV541by J S Bach

 

 

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Music scholarships at St Mary'sCalendar

January
3 Epiphany
10 Baptism of Jesus
17 Epiphany 2
24 Epiphany 3
31 Candlemas

February
7 Second Sunday before Lent
14 Sunday next before Lent
17 Ash Wednesday
21 Lent 1
28 Lent 2